Laying the Ground Work to Effect Change: Our Approach to Community & Trust Building
For nearly a decade, I’ve harnessed womxn’s collective giving to challenge the status quo and drive systemic change in Chicago. With a dedicated community of givers and colleagues, we strove to transform philanthropy to champion equity and amplify voices of the oppressed. Partnering with Jessyca Dudley, Founder + CEO of Bold Ventures, we created spaces to empower giving circle members to promote equitable funding and dismantle power imbalances in funding relationships.
In my role with All Together Bold (ATB), I will contribute monthly articles that focus on elevating approaches and key themes within ATB and the larger philanthropic field, tools and resources to assist others in their implementation efforts, and/or spotlight individuals and initiatives dedicated to advancing racial justice through philanthropy.
This first piece highlights ATB’s approach to building a connected community committed to long-term change. I hope that you find it meaningful and applicable, and stay connected through our website and future publications.
With Light and Love,
Eli, ATB Contributor
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Philanthropy in pursuit of racial justice unites us. The success and long-term impact of this endeavor depend on the collaborative creation of a community, trust, and accountability. Often, we neglect to engage in discussions about the influence we wield due to our connection to wealth redistribution, the guiding principles of our work, or the collective impact we can have by aligning our values and actions. The program design of All Together Bold (ATB) aims to foster an environment where, as the inaugural cohort launches, we collectively address these questions and conversations candidly. Our goal is to lead equitable change through our practices and guidance as stewards of capital in support of or on behalf of others.
ATB is a community of practitioners dedicated to fostering a more just and equitable world. Members of the first cohort have expressed a desire for a space to learn and unlearn, to bridge the gap between theory and practice, and to acquire the tools to inspire change in their respective spheres of influence. They seek personal growth, a space that challenges the echo chamber that surrounds them, and an opportunity to deepen their equity-centered philanthropic practices alongside like-minded individuals.
We navigate a world defined by societal structures that favor some while disadvantaging others. Achieving a more just and equitable world requires internal change that leads to the dismantling of the existing order and the construction of a more inclusive one. This work necessitates behavioral and cultural shifts, altering practices and inviting others into ambiguous and often uncomfortable territories and possibilities. It demands that we question everything we think we know. We make attempts, face failures, adjust our course, make progress, encounter setbacks and build upon the work of those who came before us. We strive to leave a legacy for future generations.
The work of justice and equity spans a lifetime, even multiple lifetimes.
Some might refer to it as a calling, a drive, or a purpose. We aim to connect with something greater than ourselves, seeking to make a meaningful impact that extends beyond our individual lives. Xochitl Armién wrote in the article Stepping into Joy and Purpose that purpose is one’s unique power, the intersection of “our greatest skills and our rawest passions”. When we engage in activities that align with our passions and talents, we generate momentum and resilience that sustains our commitment to the work.
In their book, Leading with Joy, Akaya Windwood and Rajasvini Bhansali emphasize the importance of anchoring ourselves in joy. It is through purpose and joy that we access our inner strength and lead with clarity. Joy is an approach and a practice. It is a choice we continually make to celebrate, to feel and take delight in, and to be in transformational relationships. Joy can coexist with grief. We need joy because “it expands our human capacity to lead, sustains us even when times are hard, and allows for new ways to enact and receive leadership” (Windwood and Bhansali 2022).
Racial justice is a collective endeavor, not a solitary pursuit. Individual self-reflection and personal growth are vital, and they must complement the work done within a community of individuals who share values and a common purpose. The commitment to continuous learning, challenging preconceptions and biases, experimenting with new ideas and practices, and allowing others to witness our flaws and mistakes all hinge on trust. Therefore, in addition to purpose and joy, our ability to lead effectively, create meaningful impact and remain committed to this work over the long term relies on the communities we belong to and nurture.
Hence, ATB’s programmatic approach is deliberate and steady, designed to anchor us in community and trust. As advisors, resource influencers, investors, financial activists, and wealth holders, we may occupy similar spaces and share comparable experiences, however we have not yet engaged in deep transformative work together.
In practice, being deliberate and steady means structuring the first three months of the program as an invitation for participants to fully engage in the process and envision the potential for transformative philanthropy when we collaborate. Activities centered around relationship building, an online forum, and program components that encourage introspection about our leadership and our contributions to the work create opportunities to develop mutual understanding and shared values. This process allows us to co-create an action-oriented space that fosters curiosity, skill development, and trust. Participants are actively shaping community agreements and the culture of their collaborative work, determining if their continued involvement aligns with their mission.
All Together Bold was conceived as a program aimed at progressing toward a future where resources and power are distributed and utilized equitably. Participants have shared what they need from such a program, and together, we have begun to cultivate a community grounded in purpose, joy, and trust — a foundation from which we can embark on deeper transformative work within our learning community and beyond.
